Prepare Sriracha Chicken for a Quick Meal

This delightfully simple sriracha chicken uses ingredients you probably already have in the pantry and makes a marvelously juicy chicken lacquered in a sweet and spicy glaze that’s redolent of ginger and garlic. Best of all, it all comes together in about 10 minutes, making it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Although it’s contrary to common knowledge, I like starting chicken thighs in a room temperature pan. The first reason is because this gives the fat in the chicken some time to render out, eliminating the need to use any oil (be sure to use a non-stick pan). The second reason is that you want to give the chicken time to cook through, and if you add it to a hot pan, the chicken will burn before it’s fully cooked. If you’ve already trimmed off all the skin and fat, or you are using chicken breasts, you’ll need to add a little oil to the pan, but you can still start with a room temperature pan.

For the sauce, I like using maple syrup to sweeten this because of its subtle sweetness along with an earthy flavor that’s a beautiful compliment to the nutty soy sauce and fiery sriracha. The white wine adds some fruity flavors along with some balancing acidity, but if you don’t already have an open bottle, you can substitute almost any alcohol, or even water.

Serve this with some steamed vegetables and rice, or make some tacos with shredded cabbage and pickled onions.

Directions

Add the chicken to a room temperature non-stick pan in a single layer with any bits of fat facing down, and then put it over medium high heat. This gives the fat a chance to render out so you don’t need to add any extra oil.

Once the chicken is browned on one side, flip each piece, and brown the other side.

Add the sauce, and turn up the heat to high. Bring the sauce to a boil, tossing the chicken occasionally to coat evenly with the sauce as it thickens.

The chicken is done when there’s no sauce left in the pan. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Yield: 1-2 servings

Marc Matsumoto is a culinary consultant and recipe repairman who shares his passion for good food through his website norecipes.com. For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. Marc’s been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.